


Let the Grass Hear Your Secrets

by a_pirate_on_the_left



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: A bit of trauma, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everybody lies, Family Secrets, Graphic Description, Internal Conflict, Internalized Homophobia, LGBT, Lies, M/M, Oscar is a cinnamon roll, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pre movie, fear not Ernesto will be there, finding a title is the worst part ever, flashback to when everyone was young and happy, more or less, oscar's pov, this was supposed to be about ernesto, using the international metric system because fuck miles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:29:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_pirate_on_the_left/pseuds/a_pirate_on_the_left
Summary: “So... Mmh Imelda, ” Hector began, he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to hear the answer to his question “You knew I loved you very much. But still.. Why you thought I left you?”Imelda turned a bit uncomfortable on her seat.“Well...”
Relationships: Oscar Rivera/Original Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Let the Grass Hear Your Secrets

The warm breeze against his skin.  
A warm hand holding his own.  
The lively music playing in the distance.  
They finally stopped walking.  
He only had the time to put his glasses in his pocket before there were soft lips against his mouth.  
  
Oscar Rivera never felt more euphoric and excited and in his whole 15 years of life.  
  
"It- It's getting warmer here. Isn't it?" he said starting to unbutton his waistcoat.  
  
It wasn't just a bleak excuse to take off a layer of his clothes, even if he was beginning to understand why it was used so much though; he could feel his skin burn, the heat coming right from his chest, his stomach, his hips.  
  
"Better take this off fast then" the boy answered, helping him with the last few buttons and push the piece of clothing of his shoulder.

It was dark in the countryside around the cantina, the only lights came form the short building that served the youth of Santa Cecilia and the neighborhood towns as the only dance room in a 20 kms radius.  
As a result it was enough to walk less than a hundred meters and you would have been able to only recognize the silhouettes of the people around you. Unless you knew them.  
It was safer this way.  
The place was a secret; an established corner in the middle of a field, far enough to avoiding being seen, but close enough for Oscar to hear the joyful music coming from the barroom.  
A special spot where you could go with your lover after a dance and a beer and where you could gently lay together on the tall grass; or sometimes, but this Oscar had never experienced, if you were alone you could just wait around for some company.  
Silvàn brought him there a couple of times before, still he wasn't sure if on his own he could find it again.  
The aim was that you could not know about it on your own. You had to be walked there by someone.

Oscar didn't know what was so special about it, there was nothing about those blades of grass that made him feel welcome, and yet he felt like he was living in a delightful adventure.

His waistcoat fell on the tall wheat and soon after the two boys followed it.  
  
Silvan's hands were passionately caressing his hair, their lips met again and Oscar was trying, but painfully failing, to undo the buttons of his shirt.  
All his senses were almost overwhelmed, he was loosing focus on everything that wasn't the boy in his arms; so it was unexpected that when he wanted to deepen the kiss but Silvan pushed him away.

“What it is Silas?”

“Wait ...ssshhh!” he whispered

And with a bit of focusing Oscar could hear steps slowly getting closer. A shiver run from the back of his head down to his stomach, freezing him. He held tightly Silvan's hand, both of them holding their breath.  
A blare.  
The two boys stiffed; but then the whistle begin to sound like the melody playing in the far saloon and the stranger walked away.  
Oscar was once again able to inhale and after a few minutes of silence they both relaxed.

The two chuckled, Oscar's face over his lover's shoulder.

“Were you afraid? “ but the way Silvan said that it sounded more like a statement.

“Of course!-” but Silvan pushed his shoulder signaling he was too loud.

“Of course I was, and so were you” Oscar whispered back a little annoyed, moving back from the kiss the other boy was trying to give him.

“You're very brave, you know that?” Silvan reassured him, and Oscar could hear the smile his voice.

And _oh, how hard it was to stay angry at him_ , _especially when he could sound so suave_.  
Oscar's annoyance lasted the total amount of ten seconds before giving in to the kisses.

 _Everything was perfect in that moment_ Oscar thought.  
And the next it all became nothing but hell.

  
They heard walking once again, the same lonely man looking for company.

  
  


Silence. A deafening silence over which he could hear his body being thrown on the ground by two pairs of strangers' hands.  
The sound of a fist violently hitting skin, less than a meter away from him.  
  
Once again in less than an hour the two boys had been caught like rabbits in the headlights of a car.  
Oscar never thought he could be so passive in case of such danger and yet he couldn't find neither the strength to fight nor his voice, he couldn't even beg.

He was shaking but the men around him were certain of their actions.

“Maricones!!” One of the spitted out before punching him in the stomach. His heart hammering in his chest and he was again hitting the ground.  
Laughs followed but Oscar didn't even understand what was happening. They were around him, he could only see their profiles in the dark. Three, four maybe. Someone was clenching him from behind.  
Some else, he was sure was hitting Silvan next to him.  
Insults, more laughs and then even more slurs.  
Oscar heard the words but couldn't grasp the meaning. A slap, he tasted blood.  
  
“I'm talking to you joto!” one of the man held his chin tightly.

“They can't even speak now” another answered spitting in his direction.

“Maybe” the first one grinned “we can teach 'em some words”.

The man, that for Oscar was only a shadow in the darkness, pulled his shirt up to uncover his chest, something ... _cold. No. Not just that: sharp!_ Against his skin. _A knife_ and that was his first coherent thought after the attack, his brain started to understand things again, his body fighting against the hands that held him still.

“Now. I'm gonna teach you how to spell” the man with the knife mocked speaking slowly.

The point of the knife began to push on his chest. Oscar wanted to scream, but fear chocked him.  
His eyes shut.

The pain he anticipated never came. In its place a glass shattered followed by a deaf thud. The man with the knife was on the ground.

“Run!” someone ordered and the clench at his body weakened.

It must have been some kind of survival instinct, but he never reacted faster in his life. He dashed. Quick. Far away from the barroom, right towards the countryside. Without looking back. All the adrenaline pulsing in his blood he didn't even felt the pain of the punches.  
Oscar run, he was out of breath but then run some more, till his legs gave up on him and he fell.  
A sound from behind. Someone was running towards him.

“Oscar” the boy inhaled deeply “Wh-where are you?”

 _Silvan._ The thoughts about the other boy completely slipped from his mind.

“Silas!”

Silvan limped and knelt next to him.

“I-I-” Oscar sobbed throwing himself into the boy's arms. “I run”

“Yeah” Silvan was still trying to catch his breath “You did good” and started to caress Oscar's hair to comfort him.

“I-I left you” guilt growing in him.

“No. It's ok. You did right” Silvan reassured.

They remained a long time hugged far from everything, waiting to find the steadiness but mostly the courage to go anywhere.

Silas was older than him. Seventeen years old against his fifteen. A bit taller, a bit broader. And so much stronger than him.  
Oscar knew that if he had been alone he would have never been able to go back. They walked till they reached the railroads. Holding hands in the dark Silas kept assuring him and drying his tears with his own sleeve.

Once found the railway they had a direction to go.

“We're going home now” The older began.

“No. I can't” Oscar started “I came with my brother and sister. If I don't go back they'll worry. They'll start looking for me. And-” But he couldn't finish the sentence, his throat closed with another sob. He didn't want to go back _there_. But he had no choice. Imelda would have looked for him everywhere. She would have asked _everyone_ if they'd seen a boy _like this one;_ and he could imagine Felipe's voice clarifying that the one lost was his twin. They would have not stop.  
So there was a fight around here tonight. Imelda would have find out.  
Something in him knew that she would.

Waiting back at home wasn't an alternative.

Going back was better than leaving his life in the hands of such sad fate.

“Remember: they didn't see you” Silvan placed both of his hands on his shoulders. “There are no bruises on your face, yet. They wont recognize you” He then fixed Oscar's hair. “Now you're better”

“It will be okay”

Maybe it was extremely more scary to go alone. But it was safer for the both of them.  
They parted at the closest train station. Silas would go towards Santa Cecilia and Oscar would take the country road heading back to the cantina.  
In the day light people would have noticed without doubt that they just left a fight. But it was night, and the darkness covered most of the dirt and the few blood marks of their clothes.

“Better if we don't see each other, for a few days” The older boy finally said.

At which Oscar found nothing to object.  
The two shook hands as salutation, it took Oscar all of his courage to start walking away.

Think of something else. Anything but what happened. He run. Better get there fast. Find Imelda, Felipe and go home as soon as possible.

Imelda and Hector have been dating for at least 5 months now. Still it was just their third official date in public.  
_Well, I left for at least two hour. They had enough time. She wont be too annoyed.  
_The music was the first to reach his senses, slowing down after the turn, he saw the building the light shining from the windows.  
Cold against his chest. _No! Don't even try to recall. Distract yourself. I can count the windows. Five. I can count the start. It should do.  
_He was just a few meters to the door. The people outside didn't mind him at all. They didn't even acknowledged him. _  
_ Cold again, he shivered. The thought hit him harder than the fist in his stomach: _My waistcoat. I'm ruined! If_ _ **they**_ _found it they're find me. They are going to kill me._  
Damn Imelda who wanted them to write their name in all of their clothes.  
Damn the dim light in which everything was blurred and he just realize he also missed his glasses.  
Damn all of his life choices that brought him there in that exact situation.  
He was not going in the field to look for his waistcoat. Too risky. No, better just go home. Maybe they didn't find it after all. He would go back tomorrow to look for it.  
_Just step inside now._

Oscar took a deep breath and went in. The music playing, _was it the same song as_ _ **before**_ _? Focus: Find Imelda. Find Felipe. Leave.  
_The place was poorly illuminated, except for the stage and the bar. They took a table when they arrived, he had completely forgotten about it. Sitting alone he found Hector instead.

“There you are!” he said with a big smile, handing him something, then turned back to look at the band playing. It took Oscar far too much time to realize what it was. _My waistcoat._ Hisglasses still inside, still whole. He wanted to question it, but the relief was so strong and sudden that he collapsed on the chair next to him.

The vest would have covered his messy shirt, maybe he left it inside before leaving. Everything was so blurry in his mind he might as well be blond, he would have not remembered.

“W-Where's Imelda?” he finally succeeded to ask.

“In the line for the bathroom. The plan was to leave after she's back. Is it okay with you?”

“Y-yeah. Sure”

Hector was a good guy, always kind, helpful, funny even; but most importantly he cared about Imelda, and because of that Oscar could see that he cared about him and Felipe as well.

“Hey” Hector said placing a hand on his forearm. “Are you alri-”

“Here come the last drink of the night!” A loud voice announced. Ernesto placed two glasses I front of them the bottle still in his hand.

“Oh! We thought you went home” He was talking to him.

 _I wish._ Oscar turned to look at him. He looked more disheveled than usual. Then he noticed what it was that was terribly wrong: blood. A streak of blood was making its way down from his nose to his lips.

“How much do you want to make me drink?” Hector joked, distracted by his friend he didn't finish his previous question.

“Come on! Don't be boring” and he poured at least the amount of three shots in his glass, just to gulp the whole thing down at once. The band was new in town, they would stay just two week and Hector wanted to hear their new rhythm as much as he could; when they started to play a new piece, with half the glass full Hector turned once again to focus better on the music.  
A shiver run down Oscar's spine, Ernesto's focus was all on him, examining all of his moves. Cold.  
_He's one of them. He was there. He's going to kill me._  
Fear assaulted him, he wanted to scream for help. _I need to leave. Hector please do something! Save m-_

“Here” Ernesto placed his glass in front of him and started to fill it “Drink” he ordered calm, confident.

 _That voice. “Run”_ ringed back into his head _._ It didn't occur to him til that moment that it might have not been Silas to knock down _that man._ He just didn't take it as a possibility, _someone else_. He drank, the alcohol burned his throat but allowed him some relief from the pain that was growing from his stomach. He wasn't afraid anymore. For the first time since he came back from the train station alone, he wasn't terrified.

“Ho- How did you ”

Ernesto moved closer his voice low only Oscar could hear him “I heard screaming and I rushed” and then turned to face the stage as well. Topic closed.

After a while both Felipe and Imelda were around the table.

“I was looking for you” Felipe complained “You could tell me you were back”

“Wait a minute!” Imelda began, inquisitive “What happened to you?” her voice louder than usual. “What is this on your face?”

Both Felipe and Hector watching his face like detective looking for clues.

“Ouch!” Oscar slapped away his brother's hand.

“You.” Imelda said to Ernesto “You, came back with a bleeding nose. Where have you taken my brother? What did you do to him?” Not anger but annoyance in her tone.

“Me?” Ernesto raised his hands defensively “I did nothing” and now they were looking towards Oscar, waiting for him to say something that would place the blame on Ernesto's shoulders or exonerate him. The boy said nothing, sat still, _what can I say to get myself out of trouble?_

“Listen, first I want you to know that there was _absolutely_ nothing wrong in what happened” Ernesto began in his place.

 _No! don't tell her!_ But Oscar remained silent once again.

“second, that I don't blame _you_ for how it all ended”

“How on earth would this be _MY_ fault?” she said pointing at her brother's reddened face.

“The girls around here look at you! Do you think they don't see you taking off your boots to hit some poor guy asking for a dance?” Disbelief growing on everyone's face; Oscar's as well.

“We were just there” and Ernesto pointed at a spot in the dance floor “asking for a pretty girl and her friends if they had a dance free for us, when” he paused knowing too damn well they were waiting for his next words “when, they said _yes but here's too tight let's go outside”_ he said trying to sound feminine “they walked us out, waited til we were distracted and then SLAM!” he hit the table with his hand, they all jumped for the surprise. “The most painful slap he ever got in my life” he complained “his as well I bet” and laughed.

 _He is good._ It was the best lie Oscar ever heard, he wished he could lie that easily as well. Imelda always knew when he was hiding some truths, but Ernesto was a wonderful actor.

“Surely a girl hasn't broke your nose” Imelda replied annoyed.

“Do I look like I give up on something?” Ernesto sounded genuinely offended “ I tried my luck with another one. And I she was agreed to a dance with me, but..”

“But?!” Hector questioned, probably he waited for this story since he saw his friend's bleeding nose early that night, but didn't had it to take a break from his date.

“ _But_ her boyfriend didn't like it when I called him _cabron”_

Hector chuckled. Like he heard a funny story for the thousandth time but still it never failed to make him laugh.

“You got into a fight too?!?” Felipe asked. Oscar didn't know what to answer.

“Please.” Ernesto intervened once again. “What boyfriend would be jealous of him? Without offense kid.” he winked in his direction then back to Felipe “did you even listen to what I said? Unfortunately we both had an accident on our path”

“You-” Imelda began.

“No. Like I said I didn't got your brother into a fight. Have I?” All eyes were back on Oscar again, all of them silently pressing for an answer.

“I- I.. No. It's like he said” he managed.

Imelda seemed to believe it and that was enough, sure she needed a few more explanations but Ernesto answered to everything.

On the way home there had been comments about it, warning, scolding and even a couple of cheers from Hector for his courage in trying his luck with girls. Obviously it was Ernesto who pushed him to say something positive, but still it relaxed the tension.  
Oscar walked back home with his guard high, close to Imelda. God if he wanted a hug, if he needed it. But how could he explain it without sound suspicious? _Tomorrow everything will be better._  
Once home, safe on his bed he fell asleep, exhausted.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a thousand words story, two at most. But for as much as I wanted to keep this short it wouldn't have been enough to express everything the way it deserved.  
> Also this was supposed to be a story about how Ernesto wasn't a complete monster, but doing it from Hector's pov was, what can I say, too clichè. Also it's easy to save someone you love. I needed someone he knew but he wasn't close with. So well Oscar, because the movie has 5 characters. lol. I found out that the twins are interesting tho. it's a win win.
> 
> Anyway next chapter it's gonna have more Ernesto in it 
> 
> let me know what you think of this and please if there are mistakes in the construction of the sentences tell me, i'm not an english speaker and I might have used the wrong verb tense.  
> Also I used too many times the word turn, there's no synonyms, I hate it.
> 
> Ps I know this has nothing to do with the summary but it the end everything will make sense. I swear


End file.
